Included among known flat bed trailer structures is one formed of extruded and/or fabricated aluminum shapes including I-beams and tubular members of generally rectangular cross section. The I-beams and tubular members are assembled by providing shaped apertures in the web portions of the I-beams in closely spaced relation to their upper transversely disposed portions, positioning the tubular members through the apertures, welding oppositely disposed sections of the tubular members to the portions of the web of the I-beams defining the sides of the apertures therein, positioning aluminum flooring sections of an overall height the same as that of the horizontal portions of the I-beams on the tubular members together with outside rails secured to the ends of the tubular members and completing the longitudinal edges of the flooring. The flooring members and outside rails are secured to the tubular structure by welding to complete the structure. A structure such as the one just described in general terms is more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,233.
Upon review of U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,233, it will be noted that the flooring sections are positioned between and extend longitudinally along the upper transversely disposed portions of the I-beams, and the flooring sections have a transverse cross section that is made up of a plurality of compartmented, hollow cells that are arranged side-by-side. The compartmented, hollow cross section serves to reduce the overall weight of the trailer structure and, for a variety of types of heavy cargo, to provide a strong and durable supporting surface. A variation of the compartmented cross section disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,233 is also known wherein the cells that make up the flooring section are fully enclosed on all sides by elements of the flooring section; however, the cells have a triangular cross section. (See FIG. 4 in the drawings.) Still further variations on these two floor sections are also known where the cells that comprise the sections are not fully enclosed on all sides. Rather, the sections are at least partially open on their bottom side and have members at the base of the cell walls, which allow the floor section to rest upon a subfloor structure positioned immediately thereunder. The subfloor structure, being so positioned, thereby provides a surface for closing off the open side of the floor section cells. (For a better understanding of the features of these open-celled flooring sections, see FIGS. 5 and 6 in the drawings.) Unfortunately, all of the above noted flooring sections have proven to be less than suitable when a need has arisen to transport relatively small, very heavy objects such as one or more coils of flat-rolled steel or perhaps massive, leg-supported machinery where a significant portion of the machinery's weight is concentrated at a relatively small area immediately under the leg(s). In the case of the objects mentioned, and others like them, permanent deformity of the floor section immediately beneath the objects has been known to occur when the concentrated load bearing down on the upper surface of the floor section causes bending and/or buckling of the hollow compartment walls.
The present invention is aimed at fortifying compartmented, hollow floor sections and eliminating the previously experienced permanent deformity. Floor fortification can be provided by the present invention in a localized manner and on an as-needed basis.